Welcome to Chatham University Eden Hall

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Welcome

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Welcome to Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus, located just 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh. Eden Hall Campus is home to Chatham's Falk School of Sustainability and Environment, and it functions as a living and learning laboratory. In other words, the campus doesn't just HOUSE classrooms, it IS the classroom. Falk School programs use the campus's field labs, greenhouses, gardens, fields, orchard, and surrounding forest to work toward a more sustainable future. In case this is your first visit, here are some tips to help you get started: -To jump to the next destination, click the button on the right side of your screen. -Or, if you already know where you want to go, simply select that location from the list on the sidebar. -And remember to explore each destination in more detail by clicking the interactive icons included throughout each location.

Solar Canopy

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Over 400 large solar panels generate 126,000 kilowatt hours annually, enough to power 14 homes for a year. Energy that does not get used feeds back into the public electric grid, and Chatham gets an energy credit for the future.

Field Lab

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The classroom in the Field Lab is the home base for learning. Typical course lectures can be conducted in the space, along with the analysis of field research conducted at outside locations. Next to the Field Lab is the Aquaculture Lab, home to Chatham's aquaculture system, capable of raising up to 1,000 trout. Aquaculture is widely seen as the most efficient way to provide protein for the rapidly growing global population, slated to reach over 10 billion people by 2050. The Aquaculture Lab is used for research, for a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, and for K-12 programming like aquaponics workshops for students and educators.

Esther Barazzone Center

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Spanning 23,000 square feet and two floors, the Esther Barazzone (Bear-a-ZONE-ee) Center is the heart of Eden Hall Campus. It's a multipurpose space that includes a green, living wall of plants; meeting and gathering spaces; classrooms; a gym; an innovative commercial and teaching kitchen; and cool giant steps that can be used as a makeshift lecture, performance, or just hanging-out space. The EBC is also home to the beloved dining hall where students can enjoy meals cooked with ingredients grown at the farm. The dining hall is proud to feature lots of vegan and vegetarian options for students studying at Eden Hall.

High Tunnel

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The 3,000 square-foot solar high tunnel provides an extended growing season and protected environment for production and research at Eden Hall. The side walls have panels that are controlled by a thermostat and can be rolled up automatically in warmer months. This structure allows students eating at Chatham's dining halls to enjoy fresh produce even in the dead of winter. The high tunnel is just one of a variety of growing environments that permit research and study of both carefully managed microenvironments and field production—allowing students to gain a well-rounded understanding of modern farming. Next to the high tunnel is the apiary, a beekeeping station that currently hosts seven hives to promote beneficial pollination while enhancing food production and providing honey. Additionally, the hives increase awareness of the role of pollinators in growing our food and local ecosystems.

Cafe Anne

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Café Anne, named for alumna Anne Putnam Mallinson '61, is built inside Eden Hall Farm's old dairy barn. Much of the original structure has been maintained, although during renovation the barn was given a new foundation and moved not far from its original location. The café's heritage is represented by silhouettes of cows painted on the floor. Here students can stop in between classes to grab a quick snack or signature smoothie. Right outside of Café Anne is the new stone pizza oven where students can try their hand at making pizza from scratch from local ingredients and cooking it in the wood fire. It is a great place to build community and celebrate the local resilient grain systems!

Hilda M. Willis Amphitheater

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The Hilda M. Willis Amphitheater is a unique performance space that provides a scenic and relaxed setting for campus and community events. Carved into the natural landscape, the amphitheater offers pastoral southern views overlooking the adjacent orchard, field, and the rolling terrain of the North Hills. In addition to its public function, the amphitheater also serves as a raingarden, a key component of the sustainable and ecological functions of the campus.

Large Barn

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An original structure at Eden Hall Campus, the large barn is capable of hosting receptions, concerts, plays, and other public gatherings.

The Lodge

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Originally a respite country space for women working for the Heinz company, the Lodge honors its historic roots by housing community gathering spaces, an outdoor pool, and a bowling alley, as well as classrooms and office spaces.

Demonstration Kitchen

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Located in the Lodge, the Demonstration Kitchen serves lots of purposes. It's a hands-on training ground for the Food Studies and Sustainability programs, it hosts community workshops, and it's also the scene of lively potlucks involving all members of the Eden Hall community. It's also used by Chatham's Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation, a/k/a CRAFT, for many of their initiatives.

Orchard Residence Hall

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Orchard Residence Hall might be the most sustainable building you've ever lived in! Rooms are equipped with sensors that monitor temperature and humidity and tell the system how to respond to keep you both warm and cool. Heating and cooling are provided by the campus's geothermal system through radiant panels in the ceiling, and electricity is provided by solar panels on the roofs. Students living at Orchard Hall can choose between a single-person bedroom or a suite-style room where they share a bathroom with another single-person room. Orchard Hall also features kitchens for students to cook communally, as well as common areas for hanging out and studying.

Agroecology Demonstration Garden (ADG)

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As the name states, the purpose of the ADG is to demonstrate principles of agroecology, and it also serves as a research site. Food from the ADG is shared among team members and the broader Chatham community through the dining halls. Students are encouraged to develop projects that they find personally meaningful, and more than one alumnus has springboarded this work into a career. The ADG is also a location for experiential learning events, such as the Cider Press that is part of the Food Studies program's Wines, Ciders, and Meades class. This is the last stop! Thank you for joining us on your virtual tour of Chatham University's Eden Hall campus. We hope to see you for an in-person tour soon!

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